"We went 0-5 (at the start) and now we're here (in the semis) and I can't explain it," Hatters' coach
Lauren Scott
said before the players doused her with a bucket of ice water. "We said today was about us; no one expected it."

Tenth-seeded Ridgefield (9-6) edged the Hatters 8-7 on May 18, holding on when Molly Blansfield, who'd already scored four times, couldn't convert a potential game-tying shot in the closing seconds.

For Danbury's nine seniors, this was their final opportunity to beat the Tigers.

Blansfield, a junior, helped make it happen, producing a game-high three goals, while senior Kristin Kleis and sophomore
Jillian Colley
added two apiece.

"It's amazing. It's the best feeling ever," Blansfield said. "It's all we wanted."

"We had a really hard week of practice," Scott said. "We knew that this game was the last chance that 10 of us would have against them. We had a plan and we executed it."

"This was such an emotional game," Skarda said. "We lost three years in a row (to Ridgefield) and we needed to come out and play with energy and off the enthusiasm of the crowd."

Ridgefield's
Caitlin Hussey
tied the game at 5-5 with 12:44 remaining.

Colley scored what proved to be the decisive goal when she bounced in a shot with 8:58 left. Kleis provided insurance with a great individual effort, dodging several defenders before finding the cage with 4:32 to play.

Ridgefield's Jocelyn Kuchta opened the scoring. A goal by Colley and two by Blansfield put the Hatters ahead 3-1. Lauren Flood and Kuchta then scored for the Tigers, creating a 3-3 halftime tie.

Erin McCarthy
's goal gave the Tigers a 4-3 advantage. Danbury regained the lead, 5-4, as Blansfield scored her third goal and Kleis scored her first.

"We couldn't let them run," Skarda said. "They're a very fast team and they've got great stick skills. We tried to stay back in our defensive house and stay in front of them."

Said Cappelli: "We just had to watch our slides and talk. Talk was more important than anything."

Ridgefield took an aggressive approach defensively but hurt itself by fouling too often. It was also given one red card and one yellow card for overzealousness.

"They like to play as tight as the high school rules allow them to," Skarda said. "And in games like this it's all about adjusting to the refs. Who can adjust faster?"

"That was our problem; we didn't adjust to the calls," Ridgefield coach
Molly Lenseth
said. "The number of fouls killed us. Our team took it to the next level in terms of contact today but it is a physical sport."

The Hatters weren't complaining.

"They have a lot of speed. They have a lot of finishers. I think what it came down to today was us keeping our mouths shut, taking the hits," Skarda said.

No pain, no gain.

"I would feel awful if the seniors graduated never getting what they got today," Scott said. "They deserve this so much and it feels really good to be celebrating right now."